The sun had already risen, and the spring breeze carried a hint of warmth.
However, Luo Mingzi felt a chill throughout his body.
He turned his head and glanced back, watching the palace gates slowly close, and couldn't help but think of when he first arrived in the Capital.
At that ti, because of his friendship with Li Yan, he learned about Zhao Changsheng's affairs. After reporting it, it garnered significant attention. The Xuan Sacrificial Officer issued a transfer order, the Emperor personally summoned him, and entrusted him with an important task, specifically detaching elites to investigate Zhao Changsheng.
Back then, he was also quite ambitious and spirited.
After all, Chang'an was not the Capital, and he couldn't compare to those direct disciples in Chunyang Palace.
If he could capture Zhao Changsheng, he could protect the Divine State and not have wasted years of hard cultivation.
Who would have thought he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.
The deeper he investigated, the more shocking things were revealed.
Now, right under the eyes of the Capital, it had beco a nest of demons, making him feel sowhat powerless.
Putting aside the tumult in his heart, Luo Mingzi quickened his pace.
After passing the Front Gate, Luo Mingzi was led by palace guards to outside Fengtian Gate.
The plaza of this gate was vast, with "Body Kindness Pavilion" to the east and "Hongyi Pavilion" to the west. Both pavilions had twelve bronze sword bells hanging from their flying eaves, totaling the number of twenty-four solar terms. Whenever the bell in the Qintian Bureau tolled, the corresponding solar term sword bell would vibrate, dispelling the palace's malaise.
In the Great Xuan Dynasty, imperial power surpassed divine power, and the palace's layout was far more exquisite than that of any Mystical Sect.
At this mont, the court session had long ended, and in this vast plaza, only Luo Mingzi stood alone.
After waiting for a while, an eunuch, holding a horsetail whisk, briskly ca over to relay an imperial decree:
"Daoist Luo, His Majesty summons you at Jinshen Hall."
"Thank you, Eunuch."
Luo Mingzi replied with bowed head, then followed the eunuch past Hua Gai Hall.
Finally, they arrived at Jinshen Hall.
The layout of the Imperial Palace strictly adhered to ritual standards. The front was for governance, the sleeping quarters at the back, with ancestral and state altars on the left and right, symtrically aligned along the central axis.
The front was the administrative area, and Fengtian Gate was where the Emperor listened to governntal matters at the gate. In front of the gate, the Golden Water River ford a bow shape, symbolizing "imperial arrows to suppress evil," and the five marble bridges respectively represented "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust."
Beyond that, there were three major halls on the central axis.
Fengtian Hall signified "receiving the mandate of heaven," and was the area for the Emperor's enthronent and great court assemblies.
The central Hua Gai Hall represented the Jade Emperor's protective canopy.
The Jinshen Hall in front of them symbolized the monarch's self-cultivation and virtue, serving as the site for palace exams and banquets for Vassal Kings.
As they looked, the roof bore a beast biting a sword, which was the "Zhenwu Demon-slaying Sword" Magic Artifact bestowed by Wudang Mountain. With this sword as the core of the Array, combined with the incense of the Divine State, it would suppress not just ordinary cultivators, even Earth Immortals would be restrained.
Just as Luo Mingzi was about to ascend the steps, a white-bearded old Daoist erged from the palace gates.
The white-bearded old Daoist was dressed in splendid attire, exuding an ethereal presence, with tortoiseshell glasses perched on his nose. He was none other than Bai Chenshan, the Director of the Qintian Bureau.
"Greetings, Senior."
Upon seeing this, Luo Mingzi quickly cupped his hands in salute.
Bai Chenshan was one of the foremost Feng Shui Masters in the Divine State, rivaling the status of sect leaders across major sects.
"Oh, it's Nephew Luo."
Bai Chenshan's face showed evident weariness, shaking his head as he said, "I just returned from Yu State and am here to report to His Majesty on the revision of the calendar."
He then whispered, "His Majesty seems to be in a foul mood, be careful."
"Thank you, Senior."
Luo Mingzi promptly expressed his gratitude with cupped hands.
After Bai Chenshan departed, he lifted his foot into the grand hall.
Inside the hall, soaring red lacquered pillars lood, with beams adorned with gold dragons and flowered motifs. The floor was paved with "gold bricks," and deep within the hall, a dragon throne carved from Golden Silk Nan wood stood, backed by a sandalwood screen, with copper crane incense burners and enaled Immortal Crane candle holders arranged on both sides.
Behind the dragon chair, there once hung the "Emperor's Mirror" detailing the governance stories of wise rulers from previous dynasties.
But now, it had been replaced by a gigantic "Map of the World's Seas."
An elder in a yellow robe stood with his back to him, observing the map.
His figure was tall and imposing, though under the crown he bore a head full of white hair.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Luo Mingzi dared not slack, bowing respectfully with cupped hands.
The current Great Xuan Emperor, nad Xiao Qixuan, had been wise and martial since childhood. Upon reaching adulthood, he eradicated the powerful influence of maternal relatives, endured the turmoil within the Royal family, and after great hardships ascended the throne. Following that, he waged war north and south, stabilizing the governntal structure.
This caused the sowhat declining Great Xuan to once again display signs of prosperity.
One could truly say he was a wise ruler in every sense of the word.
Of course, his temper was not great, as countless court officials perished by his hand.
"Luo Qing, you hurried into the palace, what have you discovered?"
The Emperor still hadn't turned, rely inspecting the sea map with a magnifying glass.
Luo Mingzi, knowing the Emperor's temperant, dared not delay and promptly recounted the situation once over.
The emperor paused, slowly turning around.
His visage was sharp, as if carved by a blade or axe, with cheekbones that protruded like suspended blades, brow bones that rose like a crouching dragon, with eyebrows that slanted into his temples, and pupils black as ink, evoking the sense of standing before an abyss, intimidating others into averting their gaze.
Luo Mingzi glanced once, quickly lowering his head.
This Emperor, Xiao Qixuan, had an indomitable and domineering nature. Though not a cultivator, in his younger years, he was a martial arts master, a person who had experienced the blood and tears of the battlefield, overseeing the state for many years, showcasing extraordinary resolve.
The only oddity was his sowhat pale complexion, an appearance of lingering illness.
"Pantao Conference…"
Xiao Qixuan slowly set down the magnifying glass and said coldly, "Throughout history, there have been many emperors who sought immortality, all of whom gained notorious reputations. The impoverished seek wealth, and when wealth is acquired, they then desire longevity, allowing unscrupulous magicians to exploit this loophole."
"I do not dare contemplate such matters, yet they feast on the living, how are they different from demons?"
"You must investigate this matter thoroughly, for my reign cannot bear such disgrace..."
His voice was steady yet brimming with murderous intent.
Upon hearing this, Luo Mingzi felt at ease.
This Emperor, aside from his temper, was very much concerned with reputation.
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